Overview

Phonetics is about sounds (physics). Phonology is about sound systems (grammar). It’s the difference between hearing a noise and hearing a word.

Core Idea

Phoneme: The smallest unit of sound that changes meaning.

  • “Bat” vs. “Pat”. /b/ and /p/ are phonemes in English because swapping them changes the word.

Formal Definition (if applicable)

Allophone: Different variations of the same phoneme that don’t change meaning.

  • The “p” in “pin” is aspirated (puff of air).
  • The “p” in “spin” is unaspirated (no puff).
  • To an English speaker, they sound the same. To a Hindi speaker, they are different phonemes.

Intuition

Minimal Pair Test: If you have two words that differ by only one sound and have different meanings, those sounds are separate phonemes. (e.g., Rice/Lice. In Japanese, R and L are allophones of the same phoneme, which is why they are hard to distinguish).

Examples

  • Syllable Structure: English allows complex clusters (“Strengths”). Japanese prefers CV (Consonant-Vowel) like “Sushi”.
  • Tone: In Mandarin, “Ma” can mean Mother, Hemp, Horse, or Scold depending on the pitch. English is not a tonal language (though we use intonation for questions).

Common Misconceptions

  • “It’s just pronunciation.” (It’s about the mental rules of sound. e.g., English speakers know “Bnick” is not a possible word, but “Blick” is).
  • Phonotactics: Rules about which sounds can go together.
  • Assimilation: Sounds becoming like their neighbors (“Handbag” -> “Hambag”).

Applications

  • Language Teaching: Teaching learners to hear new contrasts.
  • Poetry: Rhyme and meter.

Criticism / Limitations

The line between phonetics and phonology is sometimes blurry.

Further Reading

  • Hayes, Introductory Phonology
  • Pinker, The Language Instinct